Response to widening participation in higher education statistics

​Universities UK has today responded to the Department for Education's widening participation in higher education statistics.

Commenting on the widening participation in higher education statistics published today, Alistair Jarvis, Acting Chief Executive of Universities UK, said: "Universities have made considerable progress in this area in recent years, but there is more work to be done.

"All universities are committed to widening participation and to ensuring that everyone is given the right support to succeed.

"The 2016 report from Universities UK's social mobility advisory group recommended that universities should work even more closely with schools and colleges in a range of ways, given the strong link between a student's prior attainment at school, and their outcomes at and beyond university.

"The report also recommended that, to make further progress, more effective evaluation of policies and interventions is needed. We need to improve the use of data in driving future developments and a focus on 'what works' underpinned by a robust and systematic use of the evidence." ​​